Cayman Correspondence: Post-Flight Sushi at Taikun in the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

Taikun is an ancient Japanese

term of respect from which the English word tycoon is derived.

At the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, the sushi at its Japanese lobby bar, Taikun, didn't live up to its name or make for a remarkable meal by discerning standards, but it filled a void left from flight delays.

Add sultry Asian ambiance, wasabi root freshly grated at the table, cold sake, good company, and a waiter who clearly takes pride in his work, and you might even overlook the disconnect of humdrum food.

You're in the Cayman Islands, after all. What's to complain about?

Here's the BlackBerry filmstrip to prove it.

(From top to bottom. All chopstick models gave full, informed consent to have their handiwork featured in this story.)

The Sushi Bar

Gekkeikan Horin Sake

Miso soup with a lemongrass flavor, in a handled cup

Asian greens salad, a lightly dressed, fluffy slaw of frisse, carrots, enoki mushrooms, edamame, and paper-thin radish

Seared American Wagyu on a bed of arugula and shitake mushrooms

Freshly grated wasabi root

Volcano maki: baked crab and cucumber roll topped with spiced crispy salmon skin and wasabi mayo

Dragon maki: freshwater barbecue eel, avocado, cucumber, eel sauce

Ama ebi tempura: crispy tempura prawn roll, sesame crust finished with a spicy Japanese mayo

Ahi poke: spiced tuna, green onions, daikon sprouts, tobiko, sesame seeds, chilies

Cilantro-jalapeño snapper: marinated red snapper, cilantro leaves, jalapeños, tobiko

Toro sashimi

Taikun
Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman
345-943-9000
Seven Mile Beach
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands